Who am I? Lost.

Firstly, if you were hoping this is about the television show Lost, allow me to dash those preconceptions promptly. Its not. Suffice to say, I like my title (the show is pretty cool too), and if you choose to judge (my title), you likewise choose to risk the guilt of err. So cut it out. Besides, I mention a television show later which far exceeds Lost in its entertainability. All this considered, allow me now to begin: In class, our talks of determinism and rationalism reminds me of one of my favorite tales:

A long time ago, during my travels in mid Asia, I stumbled upon a secluded temple. Venturing further within, a lone guru confronted me. He spoke slowly, deliberately of vagueness that I was fraught with vexation for a time until now. The guru, whom I shall refer to now as The Wimon, elaborated on the meaninglessness of life: he spoke of the heavenly bodies, how they rotate and spin, continually on a path of where they were always meant to go. He emphasized how all we can do is watch as such an astronomical event transpires. Next, he directed my attention within. He asked of me the knowledge of the composition of my skin. My reply referred to matter and atoms; the proton, neutron, and electron. My puzzled expression ushered an enlightening response from The Wimon: he pointed out how the electrons spun on their paths around the nucleus, how we could, in theory, alter their current condition, but they would eventually return to a set pattern. I was still unable to grasp what it was that he was trying to communicate, so he simply told me: the macrocosm is the microcosm. Within us, our atoms and composition, are thousands of universes in and of themselves similar to the ones we can see through a telescope. I furrowed my brow at such a claim. He continued, claiming that each one of us pursues a meaningless and pointless existence, that we are tossed by whims that arise from our circumstances only to realize later that none of it bore lasting relevance to what we are. Yet we are also of the utmost importance, that each precious moment of life we have must be optimized in its time.

Now, I must admit, it was much more impressive in person. I do a horrible job recounting the tale. In fact, I may have dreamt the whole thing. The point being that I walked away (or woke up) with a sense that we are all on set pathways, it is our perspective or attitude that shapes our experience of life. Nothing around us is real or relevant except our notion or perspective we choose to take in regard to it. That is our free will. Could life have progressed in any other way? Quantum Leap, a television show from the late 80s, may suggest so, but The Wimon hinted at a deeper truth: a pattern that is fixed and followed by all creation, and is evident within our everyday selves. So are we purely creatures of training and behavior, driven to action by previous learning? Or are we spirits riding a pendulum swing that is reflected in our daily walks? Perhaps our behavior is the sum of our experiences, and who we are is a reflection of that. I still don’t know anything. How frustrating.

Thoughts?